


Unrivaled

by JadeJem



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Children, Cute, Dork Adrien Agreste, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Love, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ship, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, partial reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 17:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeJem/pseuds/JadeJem
Summary: Eighth. This is the eighth time she's swung by his window in the last half hour. Before you ask, the answer is yes, he's been counting.





	Unrivaled

Eighth. This is the eighth time she's swung by his window in the last half hour. Before you ask, the answer is yes, he's been counting.

Adrien sighs as her figure disappears behind the same clump of buildings it has been since the first time she had swung by.

Is she doing it on purpose? Is there a reason for her constant reappearance just out of his grasp? Does she need something? Is she in trouble? Does she know that he's Chat Noir?

She hasn't dropped any hints about knowing who he is under the mask, so he discards that afterthought.

_That means she must want something from Adrien..._

Either that, or she's lost.

When she swings by for a ninth time, Adrien makes his decision and goes to stand by his window. Plagg floats up beside him, eyes glowing in the semi-darkness.

"Waiting to invite her in, Romeo?"

Adrien rolls his eyes, but he can't help the smile that creeps onto his face. Plagg zips away when Ladybug approaches for her tenth lap around the vicinity, and Adrien reaches up and knocks on his window.

The heroine seemingly pauses mid-swing, her expression frozen in a mixture of surprise, shock, and... terror?

She nearly crashes into the side panel of Adrien's room before she begins slowly rocking back and forth, suspended in mid-air.

Adrien bites his tongue to keep himself from spouting a flirtatious remark as he pushes his window open and eyes her curiously.

"Ladybug? Are you lost?" The question sounds dumb now that he's saying it out loud. Of course she's not lost! The duo knows this city like the back of their hands!

Ladybug blinks owlishly, her bluebell eyes shining brilliantly in the light of his room. Red begins to peek out from under her mask, and Adrien momentarily worries for her health. Is she sick?

It takes him a moment to register the fact that she's not feverish, she's  _blushing._

"I-I—uh, no," she stammers abashedly, her eyes looking everywhere but at Adrien. "I just—um... I wanted to... check on you...?" The lie is obvious, for she cringes, but Adrien finds himself not really paying attention to the 'why' part of her having shown up at his window.

"Oh," Adrien says breathlessly, his heart skipping twice the beats it normally does around her—though, he blames this on his sudden lack of a tongue to even  _speak_  with. He licks his lips and watches her squirm, finding it harder and harder to breathe.

She's a mess! Not just any mess, but a flustered, stuttering,  _beautiful_  mess! For  _him!_

"W-would you like to come in?" he manages to choke out, smiling as convincingly as possible when her attention snaps back to him.

Pleasant surprise flickers across her eyes, and for a moment, Adrien ponders about her civilian connection to him. Unless she's just some crazy fan girl who knows nothing of him but his last name and career (doubtful because she's Ladybug, a bigger celebrity than he is at this point), she has never acted this way towards him as Chat Noir... Then again, she's been acting a bit differently around him as well, lately.

"I—sure," she finally replies, blinking innocently once more.

Adrien steps away from his window, and she gently swings onto the support beam before dropping down into his room. She rises from her slight crouch and begins looking around again. "I forgot how big your bedroom was."

The fact that she remembers his bedroom at all sends Adrien into a mental panic as alarms blare in his head, warning him of the danger this direction of thought might (will) lead him.

She wanders past him, her yo-yo now secured to her hip as she takes in the large space. Her head does a 180, surveying the scene with watchful eyes. Adrien stares at her, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Ladybug is  _standing in his room._

"So," Adrien starts, his tone sounding too strained to pass as casual, "what brings you here?" He comes to stand beside her, motioning around to emphasize his question.

Again, Ladybug flushes red, and Adrien finds himself completely and utterly fixated.

"Do you want the honest answer, or should I go with the one that makes more sense?"

Her response surprises Adrien, and he blinks down at her. She doesn't meet his gaze, choosing instead to stare at something across the room—something Adrien can't see.

Finally, he says, "Sense is overrated." He holds his breath.

Ladybug exhales, though Adrien can't tell whether it's in relief or disappointment.

"I've been trying to think of reasons to not lose hope; trying to find a sign that I'm more than what you see me as. But after I found out about how Chat felt...," she trails off miserably, her whole frame shuddering. "I don't know what to feel any more."

Adrien shivers, though his window is closed. "I don't understand."

Ladybug turns to him, looking so desperately hopeful, Adrien nearly keels over.

"I'm in love with you."

The words hit him like bullets moving in slow motion. Each contact sends waves of shock, warmth, and something else he can't seem to identify pulsing through his veins. His chest aches as if he really has been hit with a bullet, but the ache is too pleasant to truly be painful.

For a moment, Adrien dismisses everything.  _This is a dream,_ he tells himself. _I'm going to wake up, and she won't be standing here professing her love for me._

He swallows harshly, as if something invisible is lodged in his throat, and blinks roughly.

Ladybug stands there, looking more frightened than any akuma victim ever has. Dread settles over her expression like a heavy rain cloud, and Adrien's mind is being dragged through sludge as his body moves on without him.

His heart carves a groove into his rib cage with how hard and fast it's beating as he slowly leans down towards her. Her eyes widen, and for a moment, she looks like she's about to run away.

But she doesn't.

Oh God, she doesn't, and his lips barely meets hers in a light embrace.

They both gasp and jump apart on contact, though neither get very far. Ladybug's eyes are now glossy, but there are no tears in sight. Adrien is desperate to close the distance between them, but he needs to know before he even  _considers_  doing so.

"Who are you to me without the mask?"

The question hangs heavily in the air, the weight of the words dragging upon the innocence with which they are spoken.

She seems to ponder her answer. She would never lie to him, that much Adrien knows. She's the city's role model. Hell, she's the  _world's_  role model.

He watches her expression morph into that of a bittersweet smile, and she looks up at him through her lashes.

"I'm just a friend."

Adrien stares at her. "We're... friends?"

She hesitantly inclines her head. "Yeah, but I'm specifically _just_  a friend." The emphasis on 'just' has Adrien scowling while his mind races in the other direction.

" _Just_  a friend?" Adrien repeats inquiringly, applying the same emphasis on 'just.'

Ladybug purses her lips, though there's a hint of a smile. "Mhm."

A thought occurs to Adrien, and he slowly shakes his head. "Don't tell me I friendzoned you."

In response, Ladybug bites her lip and giggles into her fist, her cheeks coloring once more.

Is she a fellow model for Agreste? The daughter of another rich business man whom he sees at the expensive parties for the wealthy? Does she go to his school?

Is she in his class?

His thoughts switch to someone... unexpected. In his mind's eye, she smiles at him, a blush dusting her gently freckled cheeks. She tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ear—a strand her twintails couldn't hold in their grasp. Her bright eyes move on from him, breaking their eye-contact before sweeping back once more, only to dance away again.

Her name is on the tip of his tongue, and his breath hitches.

_Could it be...?_

Any possible rival Ladybug may have had for his affection not only vanishes, but dips into Ladybug's image, merging with her. Their faces line up in perfect sync; the similarities are no coincidence. Every curve of her structure matches up, every facial expression, every laugh, every tone, every remark, even every mannerism, in their own ways.

He can feel her staring at him, can feel her figuring out that he's trying his luck with the million-piece puzzle and succeeding in fitting in the final piece.

 _She is completely unrivaled by any other,_ Adrien realizes.  _No one has ever stood a chance against them—against her._

No one has his heart like she does.

"I think I know who you are," he blurts, heat rushing to his cheeks as he stares at her, wonderstruck.

When she doesn't say anything, he steps closer to her. She shifts towards him, and he hits himself over the head for not seeing it sooner.

"Are you sure?" she asks softly, her warm breath fanning his neck as her nose brushes his jaw.

He shudders pleasantly, leaning towards her warmth a bit more. "Almost positive."

Her eyes are uncertain when she looks at him again. "Then... I need to do this before I lose the courage."

Adrien only has a moment to process her words before she's grabbing him by the collar of his night shirt and pulling him down to meet her lips.

The contact is so blissfully welcome, Adrien melts, not quite sure what he's doing, but loving it nonetheless. Just when he thinks the kiss may be over, he surprises himself by deepening it, his teeth knocking into hers. She tilts her head, and the better angle is welcome.

He cups her warm cheeks, his thumbs brushing the edges of her mask. She gasps against his mouth, and the sound is so undeniably arousing, Adrien's knees nearly buckle under his suddenly very heavy weight.

Their rhythm slows and speeds up, and Adrien finds himself being pressed against his couch. His eyes snap open when he tips and falls backwards over it, Ladybug falling with him. They end up sprawled on the ground, exchanging looks of mild confusion before, ultimately, bursting into laughter.

They keel over, eyes cloudy with tears of mirth as they exchange warm glances. Ladybug's head is right next to his, and when he sobers, he turns to lay on his side, his hand coming up to brush her bangs away from her eyes.

Her lips part as she stares at him, and he smiles softly. "You're so beautiful." He leans forward and presses a kiss to her freckled nose, reveling in her small giggle and hum.

"You are, too," she teases, poking him in the stomach.

He smirks. "Why, thank you, Little Lady." He high-fives himself for not using the wrong nickname. Since he's teetering on the edge with his guess for her identity, he's considering keeping his from her. It would have been different is she was a stranger, but she's not.

She's been so much closer than he ever could have fathomed.

And she  _likes_  him.

Recognition passes across her expression, and for a moment, her mind is somewhere else. She shakes her head ever so slightly, the twinkle in her eyes dimming into doubt.

"What is it?" Adrien asks, biting down the smile threatening to creep onto his face as he remembers her boy trouble. It appears it's himself versus... himself.

Her gaze snaps up to meet his, and guilt floods into her expression. "Just... thinking."

Adrien's hand runs up and down her arm soothingly, and she closes her eyes.

"Is this about Chat Noir?"

Her eyes widen, and she looks up at him again. "I—yes," she admits quietly, rolling onto her back and covering her eyes with her hands. "I could never feel right being with you when I have feelings for him—no matter how big or small." She peeks at him through her fingers. "I'm sorry."

Adrien considers just telling her. He considers coming out and saying the famous transformation key. He really does. It's only when she looks up at him, expression apologetic, does he decide not to.

"I get it," Adrien says, trying to sound as understanding as possible. "I get it, Marinette."

She sucks in a breath, and that's when Adrien knows he's hit the nail on the head.

"I'll wait until you figure it out," Adrien reassures, his thumb coming up to brush the edge of her mask. "In the mean time, I'll be okay being your friend." He smiles then, the blush on her face enough to make his heart sing.

"I'm sorry," she blurts again, eyes misty.

He'll wait for her. He'll drop hints. As much as he wants to be with her right here and right now, he's going to force himself to wait until she figures it out. She needs to make the connection on her own. Only then will he be with her.

"It's okay," Adrien states gently, and it is. "I'll understand if you choose him."

Ladybug sighs and looks away. "I should go, it's getting late."

As much as Adrien wants to say no, he doesn't. "Okay."

She sits up, and he follows suit, standing with her.

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow," she says awkwardly, her yo-yo now clutched in her hands.

Adrien smiles. "That you will, Princess."

She sends him a weird look before, once again, shaking her head and stepping towards the window. "Good night, Adrien." And with that, she's joining the stars in the sky, shedding light upon the city as she goes.

"Good night, My Lady."

**Author's Note:**

> aaaAAAAH I hate that I'm 3 days late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARE!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this! I'm a noob at Ladrien, but I think this turned out pretty good. :D
> 
> Xoxo, J.


End file.
